Andrew Wolfe, a West Virginia National Guard soldier shot in the head during a patrol in Washington DC on 26 November, is slowly recovering, according to Governor Patrick Morrisey. Wolfe, 24, was wounded alongside fellow soldier Sarah Beckstrom, 20, who died from her injuries the following day.
Governor Morrisey stated on his website that Wolfe's head wound is healing and he is beginning to 'look more like himself'. The family expects him to remain in acute care for another two to three weeks but remain optimistic about his progress. Wolfe joined the National Guard in 2019 and has received multiple commendations.
The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who entered the US in 2021, was charged with first-degree murder among other crimes. Lakanwal had previously worked with the CIA in an Afghan counter-terrorism unit. The Trump administration responded to the shooting by halting asylum decisions for Afghan nationals and pausing immigration applications from 19 countries, including Afghanistan.
Governor Morrisey has faced criticism from Democratic lawmakers for deploying the National Guard to Washington DC, with some describing it as 'political theatre'. The soldiers were part of a deployment ordered by the Trump administration to address a claimed 'crime emergency', despite the city reporting a 30-year low in violent crime.
